Safety device for a motor vehicle including a front-end structure

ABSTRACT

A safety device for a motor vehicle including a front-end structure, a front bulkhead, which separates the front-end structure from an interior, and a brake apparatus fixed to the front bulkhead and including a brake cylinder, the brake cylinder includes a device for pivoting the brake apparatus, which device, in the event of a vehicle crash, interacts with structural elements disposed in the front-end structure. The safety of a driver present in the motor vehicle may be increased. The device for pivoting the brake apparatus includes a fastening portion and a slide portion with a slide plane.

The invention relates to a safety device for a motor vehicle comprisinga front-end structure, a front bulkhead, which separates the front-endstructure from an interior, and a brake apparatus fixed to the front,bulkhead and comprising a brake cylinder.

From the prior art according to DE 198 39 521 C1, a safety device for amotor vehicle comprising a front-end structure and a front bulkhead,which separates the front-end structure from an interior, is known.Fixed to the known front bulkhead is a brake apparatus comprising abrake cylinder. In the front end, furthermore, on the body shellstructure, mechanical forced guidance means are provided, which interactwith a supporting attachment disposed on a brake cylinder of the brakeapparatus. In the event of a vehicle crash in which the front end isdeformed, the mechanical forced guidance means is displaced in thedirection of the brake apparatus. If the deformation is great enough,the mechanical forced guidance means acts upon the supporting flange onthe brake cylinder and brings about a purposeful pivot motion of thebrake apparatus. The brake apparatus is connected to brake pedalsprotruding into the interior. Through the pivoting of the brakeapparatus, the brake pedals are swung out of the foot well.

It is additionally known from the prior art to provide structuralelements and assemblies disposed in the front-end structure, such as,for example, an engine, with special forced guidance means assigned tothe brake apparatus. To this end, reference is made, for example, to JP10-338 167 A1. From this prior art, it is also known to provide thebrake cylinder of a brake apparatus with means for pivoting the brakeapparatus, which means, in the event of a vehicle crash, interact withstructural elements disposed in the front-end structure.

The object of the present invention is to provide a safety device for amotor vehicle comprising a front-end structure, a front bulkhead, and abrake apparatus fixed to the front bulkhead, by means of which theinjury risk for a driver of the motor vehicle in the foot region isreduced by simple means in the event of a vehicle crash.

This object is achieved by a safety device for a motor vehicle havingthe features of patent claim 1.

Accordingly, the invention is distinguished by a brake apparatus fixedto the front bulkhead and having a brake cylinder, the brake cylinderhaving means for pivoting the brake apparatus which have a fasteningportion and a slide portion with a slide plane. By means of thefastening portion, the slide portion can be easily connected to thebrake cylinder. In the event of a vehicle crash in which the front-endstructure is deformed, the slide plane interacts with structuralelements disposed in the front-end structure. Through suitable alignmentof the slide plane, the interaction of these structural elementsdisposed in the front end brings about a tilting motion of the brakeapparatus. This tilting motion causes the pedals connected to the brakeapparatus and protruding into the interior to swing out. An injury riskfor the driver of the vehicle in the foot region is thereby reduced.

It is conceivable that the means for pivoting the brake apparatus areassigned to the, in the direction of travel, forward-pointing end faceof the brake cylinder. As a result, the slide portion protrudesrelatively far into the front-end structure, whereby the brake apparatusplays an early part in deforming the front-end structure through thepreviously described tilting motion. As a result of this earlyinvolvement in the front-end deformation, the brake apparatus can coverrelatively large swivel angles, allowing the brake pedal to be reliablyswung out from the foot well.

The means for pivoting the brake apparatus can be detachably connectedto the main brake cylinder. This yields the advantage that differentpeaks can be provided according to vehicle model or depending on whetherthe model in question is a right-hand or left-hand drive. In addition,it allows already installed brake apparatuses to be easily upgraded.Added to this is the fact that, in the case of a multipart construction,there is a free choice of material, so that the material for the meansfor pivoting the brake apparatus can be chosen independently from thematerial for the brake cylinder. Of course, it is also conceivable torealize the means for pivoting the brake apparatus in one part with thebrake cylinder, which, in turn, yields benefits in terms ofmanufacturing costs, since, in place of two separate structuralelements, a single structural element needs to be made.

The slide plane can be aligned such that the brake apparatus, in theevent of a vehicle crash, performs a swivel motion about a substantiallyhorizontal axis. This swivel motion ensures that the brake pedal can bereliably swung out from the foot well of the interior of the motorvehicle.

The slide portion can consist of four faces arranged in a certain mannerone relative to the other, one face of which forms the slide plane.These faces can here enclose a cavity. This arrangement yields theadvantage, in comparison to solid structural elements, of lower weight.Through the use of a plurality of faces, the stability of the structuralelement is considerably increased. The four faces can be arranged, forexample, such that, in a longitudinal section in the vertical directionof the vehicle, they have a triangular cross section, one corner ofwhich is aligned downward.

It is conceivable that at least one of the faces of the slide portionhas a downwardly increasing wall thickness. This embodiment can beconditioned by production engineering factors if the slide portion, forexample, is realized as a casting. It also, however, yields additionaladvantages with respect to the stability, particularly of the slideplane.

In the cavity, means can be provided for the drainage of liquids, suchas, for example, a discharge opening. This yields the advantage that,for example, cleaning agents used in an engine wash, which might havecollected in the cavity, can easily run away.

The fastening portion of the means for pivoting the brake apparatus canhave receiving fixtures for fastening means, such as bores, for example.By way of these bores, a connection between the means for pivoting thebrake apparatus and the brake cylinder is able to be established in aparticularly cheap and simple manner by means of fastening means.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below with referenceto the illustrative embodiment represented in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side view of the inventive embodiment of asafety device for a motor vehicle comprising a front-end structure,

FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional representation of the means accordingto the invention for pivoting a brake apparatus,

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the means according to FIG. 2 from the sidefacing toward a brake cylinder,

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the means according to FIG. 2 from the sidefacing away from the brake cylinder,

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the means according to FIG. 2.

A passenger vehicle has, in a manner which is fundamentally known, afront-end structure 1 (not fully represented in FIG. 1) which has asbody shell parts, inter alia, two front-end longitudinal members 2 and,for each vehicle side, respectively a spring strut bracket 3 or a wheelhousing. The front-end longitudinal members 2 merge into a frontbulkhead 4, which forms the termination of the front-end structure 1 inthe direction of the passenger compartment and the vehicle interior.Protruding into a foot well 5 of the vehicle interior, in a manner whichis fundamentally known, is a brake pedal 7, which is coupled to a brakeapparatus 6. The brake apparatus 6 is fixed to the front bulkhead 4.

The front-end structure 1 bounds a front-end space, which in vehicleswith a front engine constitutes an engine compartment and in vehicleswith rear engine or in vehicles with a centrally placed engineconstitutes a trunk or loading space.

The brake apparatus 6 is fixed to the front bulkhead 4 in such a waythat a brake booster 8 is located on that side of the front bulkhead 4which faces toward the front-end space, i.e. the engine compartment orthe trunk or loading space. To the front in the longitudinal directionof the vehicle, the brake booster 8 is adjoined by a main brake cylinder9, which is likewise part of the brake apparatus 6. Above the main brakecylinder 9, a pressure medium reservoir 10 can be placed in a mannerwhich is known per se.

In a front end face region of the brake apparatus 6, in the representedillustrative embodiment in a front end face region of the brake cylinder9, a means 11 for pivoting the brake apparatus 6 is provided on ahousing of the brake cylinder 9. This means 11 is described in greaterdetail below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

In FIG. 2, a means 11 for pivoting the brake apparatus 6 is representedin perspective view. The means 11 has a fastening portion 12 and a slideportion 13. The fastening portion 12 consists of two faces 14 and 15,aligned substantially at right angles to each other. In the face 15there are made two bores 16 for the reception of fastening means.

The slide portion 13 consists of four faces 14, 17, 18 and 19. The face19 is arranged in extension of the face 15 of the fastening portion andforms a slide plane. The face 14 corresponds to the face 14 to beassigned to the fastening portion 12. The face 18 is arranged parallelto the face 14. Extending between these two faces is the face 17. Thefaces 14, 17, 18 and 19 enclose a cavity 20. This cavity 20 has atriangular cross section, one corner of which borders on the fasteningportion 12, in particular on the face 15 thereof. In the installedstate, the means 11 for pivoting the brake apparatus is arranged suchthat the slide plane 19 points forward in the direction of travel, theface 17 is assigned to the brake cylinder 9. The means 11 are connectedby the fastening portion 12 to the brake cylinder 9. The cavity 20 isthus open to the top.

In FIG. 3, the means 11 is represented in a side view of the face 17assigned to the brake cylinder. In addition, the two mutually parallelfaces 14 and 18, and the face 19 projecting over the face 17, arediscernible. The lower termination of the means 11 is formed by the face15.

In FIG. 4, the means 11 is represented in a side view of the slide plane19. In addition to the face 19, the face 15 is discernible, which formsthe lower termination of the means 11 and projects laterally over theface 19. In addition, an end opening 21 is discernible. This end opening21 is realized as a bore which passes through the face 19. The endopening 21 ensures that liquids received in the cavity 20 are able torun away.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the means 11. Located in the plane of thedrawing is the face 15 with the two bores 16. Extending perpendicular tothe plane of the drawing are the faces 14, 18 and 17. Extendingobliquely to the plane of the drawing, which is not apparent, however,in this representation, is the slide plane 19. In the slide plane 19,the discharge opening 21 is also identifiable.

It is apparent from FIG. 5 that the wall thicknesses of the faces 14, 17and 18 increase in the downward direction. Their thickness can measure,for example, 4 mm in the upper region and 7 mm in the lower region. Theslide plane 19 can be realized correspondingly. With a 7 mm thick face15 containing the bores 16, it is possible to produce a sufficientlyrigid structural element. The means 11 can be realized, for example, asa casting. In this case, the distribution of the structural elementthickness is conditioned by production engineering factors.

The modus operandi of the safety device according to the invention for amotor vehicle having a front-end structure is described below. In theevent of a vehicle crash, the front-end structure 1 is deformed in sucha way that the front-end longitudinal member 2 and the spring strutbracket move in the direction of the front bulkhead. Structural elementsdisposed in the front-end structure are thereby moved likewise in thedirection of the front bulkhead. When the deformation is sufficientlylarge, the moment is sometime reached at which the brake apparatus 6collides, with the forward-pointing slide plane 19, with structuralelements disposed in the front-end structure. Due to the alignment ofthe slide plane 19, the brake apparatus 6 is rotated about asubstantially horizontal swivel axis. The brake apparatus 6 thusundergoes a tilting motion. The tilting motion, as shown in therepresentation according to FIG. 1, is realized in the clockwisedirection. Through this tilting motion of the brake apparatus 6, thebrake pedal 7 coupled to the brake apparatus 6 is moved out of the footwell 5 forward in the direction of travel, so that injury risks for thefoot region of the driver are reduced.

In order to prevent the possibility that further buckling of thefront-end structure in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle inconnection with the front-end deformation during the vehicle crash mightlead to rearward displacement of the brake apparatus 6, inclusive of thebrake pedal 7, toward the foot well 5, the slide plane 19 can bedesigned such that, from a certain swivel angle of the brake apparatus 6relative to the front bulkhead 4, it slides off from the structuralelement disposed in the front-end structure and with which it interacts,with the result that no further torque is applied to the brake apparatus6. This ensures that the desired swiveled-back position of the brakepedal 7 is maintained and that the brake apparatus 6 no longer leads toany further rearward displacement of the brake apparatus 6 resultingfrom a further deformation of the front-end region.

Of course, it is also conceivable to realize the means 11 for pivotingthe brake apparatus 6 in one piece with the brake cylinder. Similarly,fastening means present in the brake cylinder, such as, for example, aclosing screw, can be designed such that they have a slide portion 13having a slide plane 19.

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A safety device for a motor vehicle, comprising: afront-end structure; a front bulkhead separating the front-end structurefrom an interior; and a brake apparatus fixed to the front bulkhead andincluding a brake cylinder, the brake cylinder including a pivot deviceadapted to pivot the brake apparatus and to interact, in an event of avehicle crash, with structural elements arranged in the front-endstructure, the pivot device including a fastening portion and a slideportion having a slide plane.
 11. The safety device according to claim10, wherein the pivot device is arranged at, in a direction of travel, aforward-pointing end face of the brake cylinder.
 12. The safety deviceaccording to claim 10, wherein the pivot device is detachably connectedto the brake cylinder.
 13. The safety device according to claim 10,wherein the slide plane is aligned so that the brake apparatus, in theevent of the vehicle crash, performs a swivel motion about asubstantially horizontal plane.
 14. The safety device according to claim10, wherein the slide portion includes four faces forming a cavity, oneface of the four faces forming the slide plane.
 15. The safety deviceaccording to claim 14, wherein the cavity, in a longitudinal section ina vertical direction of the motor vehicle, has a triangularcross-section, one corner of the triangular cross-section aligneddownwardly.
 16. The safety device according to claim 14, wherein atleast one of the four faces of the slide portion includes a downwardlyincreasing wall thickness.
 17. The safety device according to claim 14,wherein the cavity includes a discharge opening.
 18. The safety deviceaccording to claim 10, wherein the fastening portion includes receptionfixtures for fastening devices.
 19. A safety device for a motor vehicle,comprising: a front-end structure; a front bulkhead separating thefront-end structure from an interior; and a brake apparatus fixed to thefront bulkhead and including a brake cylinder, the brake cylinderincluding means for pivoting the brake apparatus and for interacting, inan event of a vehicle crash, with structural elements arranged in thefront-end structure, the means including a fastening portion and a slideportion having a slide plane.
 20. A motor vehicle, comprising: a safetydevice, including: a front-end structure; a front bulkhead separatingthe front-end structure from an interior; and a brake apparatus fixed tothe front bulkhead and including a brake cylinder, the brake cylinderincluding a pivot device adapted to pivot the brake apparatus and tointeract, in an event of a vehicle crash, with structural elementsarranged in the front-end structure, the pivot device including afastening portion and a slide portion having a slide plane.